Foreigners’ property acquisition in Korea stood out in the fourth quarter of last year. Among the high-profile deals were a 2.55 trillion won ($2.25 billion) purchase of the International Finance Center in Yeouido, Seoul by Brookfield Asset Management, a Canada-based alternative asset manager, and Blackstone Group’s acquisition of Capital Tower in Gangnam for 480 billion won. Morgan Stanley also bought a Seoul building from IGIS Asset Management for 216 billion won.

Nearly 30 percent of the 73 office buildings located in key commercial districts are now owned by foreigners, up 11.5 percentage points from 2012, according to Mate Plus, a real estate service provider.